You simply declare it as an equity release for future investment. This is probably the best case scenario and the easiest way to do it.

Taking out a construction loan

If you don’t have enough equity in your property to borrow against, your other option is to take out a construction loan.

This is more complicated compared to taking a cash out option.

You can:

Borrow up to 95% of the value of the completed granny flat or up to 100% if you have enough equity in an existing residential property that you own.

Loan term: Up to 30 years.

Interest only: During the construction period.

Bear in mind that the bank will take into account the value upon completion which is relatively conservative.

The lenders also need you to show them proof of rental demand in the area so make sure you get a rental estimate from your local agent.

Note that not all lenders assess your rental income in the same way. While some banks may accept 80% of the rental estimate, some lenders may only take 75% of the rental income when assessing your borrowing capacity.

How much does it cost to build a granny flat?

To build a quality granny flat, you’re looking at anywhere between $80,000 and $150,000.

The cost depends on:

The size of the granny flat.

The fixtures and fittings used.

The nature of the block of land. If you have a sloping block, it would cost you more to build compared to building on a level block.

You’re also reliant on existing services such as power and sewer system. Some of these can be easier to connect than others. If it’s harder to connect to these services, the costs would be higher.

How can you make money from granny flats?

Granny flats can significantly boost your cash flow if you do it right.

Say you have a house in Western Sydney, and you decide to build a $120,000 granny flat in the backyard. Once completed, you can then rent it out for $300 a week.

As you can see, you can potentially earn an extra $185 extra income per week before tax or a whopping $9,620 per year.

Can a granny flat really boost the value of your home?

Typically a granny flat will increase the value of the property by more than the cost of construction.

This is particularly true in high-density areas or regions such as South West Sydney where there is high demand for properties that can allow an extended family to live in one place.

However, just like building a home, a lot depends on the quality of the construction as well as the supply and demand of granny flats in the area.

If you’re thinking of building a granny flat, make sure you build a good quality structure in an area where there’s a shortage of granny flats.

If there are a lot of granny flats being built in area, this can potentially diminish the value of your property going forward.

The traps of granny flats

While granny flats have the potential to significantly boost your cash flow and the value of your property, there are risks to take into account.

Granny flats may affect the marketability of your property

Granny flat is a dual occupancy property. As such, this would reduce the marketability of your property as a whole.

A house with a granny flat only appeals to a select segment of the market, which limits your potential buyers in the future.

Poor quality of construction

Unfortunately, there are a lot of poorly-built granny flats around. This is especially the case if an investor is trying to cut building costs in order to boost their yield.

Doing this would result in an ugly structure that nobody wants. Instead of maximising your yield, a cheaply-built granny can have the opposite effect on the overall value of your home.

If you’re planning to build a granny flat, focus on quality to ensure you attract the most tenants and buyers down the line.

Local council may impose restrictions

You need to make sure that the granny flat conforms with the local council building requirements.

In some cases, council will deny your development application due to zoning so it pays to check out what you can or cannot do before hand.

For example, if you already have a granny flat on your property but have the space for another, you may decide to go ahead and build it.

In this way, you hope to maximise your rental income by having another tenant.

What often happens in these cases is that the second granny flat is identified as an “outbuilding” in the valuation report rather than a liveable granny flat with an address.

It’s usually because the second granny flat is smaller, doesn’t have an appropriate frontage and is built as an attachment to the main dwelling.

Potential oversupply

Due to the current popularity of a granny flat strategy, some suburbs are turning into granny flat ghettos where there are simply too many granny flats available relative to demand.

This can negatively impact the rental and capital growth potential of your property.

Just like buying an investment property, make sure that you conduct comprehensive research to ensure that there’s limited supply of granny flats in the area both in the current market and in the future.

Limited demand

The simple truth is that not every tenant wants to live in someone’s backyard. What this means is that a granny flat has a limited rental market.

Make sure you speak to the local real estate agents about demand for granny flats in your suburb and how much rent they’re fetching before you build one.

Over-capitalising

This is easy to do with any construction or development. You could run out of money before you finish building the granny flat.

Make sure that you set aside enough buffer for you to be able to complete the construction.

Building a granny flat could just be what you need to boost your rental yield and equity rapidly if you do it right.

Get the specialists on your side!

Our experienced mortgage brokers can help you get the granny flat loan you need to get your project off the ground.

Please call us on 1300 889 743 or enquire online and we will work out which lender can assist you with your granny flat investment.

We know a few lenders who will not require you to show evidence but only need you to declare the purpose of the loan. You can discuss this with an expert mortgage brokers by calling us on 1300 889 743 or enquiring online:https://www.homeloanexperts.com.au/free-quote/

craig

I want to get a loan for a granny flat to put on my friends property. I will not own, and will not have equity in any of the land that the granny flat will be on, but I will be receiving all the rental income and I will be able to pay back the loan that way.
I also have a full time job (Over 60,000 PA) and have 30,000 in savings.
Am I able to get a loan in this sort of scenario?

Hi Samantha,
This may be possible but you may need to get an exception for this because it doesn’t fall into standard lending policy. Some lenders may accept this while others may not. One of the property owners may be required to be on the loan title as well. Please call 1300 889 743 during business hours to confirm with one of our brokers.

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